Danganronpa: Adventures of the 72nd Class (SYOC)
by Daichi Yamazaki
Summary: Sixteen uniquely talented students are welcome into Hope's Peak Academy's comforting walls, and the story that unfolds from there tells all about their stories in the school of Hope. Hope's Peak Academy is officially welcoming its 72nd Class. (School Life - SYOC Closed!)
1. Chapter 0: Two Sixteenths

**CHAPTER 0 : Two Sixteenths  
(+ Character Roster)**

* * *

 **MORNING**

 **Location: Outside Hope's Peak Academy**

Hope's Peak Academy. A government-funded school that celebrates and rewards talented teenagers. As such, only the cream of the crop can enter this school, by being specifically scouted for their special talents by the school staff itself, and being recruited to become the 'hope' of the world, giving it the oh-so-deserved nickname of 'the school of Hope' from many sources around the world.

There are only two requirements you must meet to enroll in this prestiged academy, although they are no easy feat. Firstly, you must be enrolled in high school. Secondly, you must be the very best at your given field - the best of the best regarding your talent.

As a reward for meeting these requirements, you are able to enroll free of charge in the academy's Main Course, where you'll be then guaranteed to be successful in your life post-graduation. No entrance exams, no fees, no quarrels. Just be the best, and the school will come to you for admission.

"You know I've heard all that before, right, Kagura?" Masaru asked cheerfully, hands behind his head. "You gave me that speech on the school's history yesterday. And the day before that. Every day for the past two weeks. Are you that excited about this?"

"How could you _not_ be excited!? Do you understand how important this is!? We must be luckiest people alive!" the newly enrolled member of the 72nd Class started ranting once again about how she had been waiting for this for so long. "I mean, not as lucky as Super High School Level Lucksters, sure, but we're so lucky! We both got into the academy, in the same class and everything! It's too much, dude, it's too much!"

Masaru just laughed it off and sat up. "What are we waiting for then? You know the Academy is just over there. We've been laying here for so long, my butt hurts..."

"No, no, no!" the black-haired girl retorted. "Like hell I'm going now! We have to wait for the perfect moment, understand?" she rested her head on the brick wall behind her and looked straight-forward, across the street and to the main gates of her new high school with a dreamy look to her face. The building towered over both the teenagers like a skyscraper, coated in cream walls, windows and above the main gate, the Hope's Peak insignia, a sign of hope for the entire nation.

"Can we just..." Masaru tried to make his friend get the idea, but was unable to. He wasn't even sure if she was listening to him, or if he was just meaningless babble in her ears. "...get off the damn sidewalk? I've been stepped on three times now."

Kagura sighed and stood up, lending the boy a helping hand. "You're such a bother, Masaru. Let's just go sit on a bench like normal, _boring_ people do. What kind of talent do you have? Are you the Ultimate Bore?"

"Was that supposed to be offensive?" Masaru chuckled as he grabbed Kagura's hand and lifted himself up, leading her to the bench on the other side of the street, facing the street. "We're going to have our backs turned to the school building... can you handle it for a few minutes?"

The girl just stuck her tongue out and puffed her cheeks, giving the edifice one final look before sitting down. "Majestic." she whispered to herself, adjusting the strap of her camera around her neck. "And now, it's time for our hope to shine the brightest it's ever shone..."

* * *

 _ **I'm aware that there are quite a few characters in this story, so I made sure to make a character list in case you forget about any of their names, talents or roles. Resort to this little compilation as often as you need to. I hope it helps!**_

* * *

 **MAIN CLASS (72-1)**

 **Males**

 _Masaru Arakawa,_ Ultimate Match Maker  
 _Shinjiro Minoto,_ Ultimate DJ  
 _Dallas Park,_ Ultimate  Test Subject  
 _Ryuk Hoshigaki,_ Ultimate Shark Hunter  
 _Arturo Bianchi,_ Ultimate Linguist  
 _Isamu Sasaki,_ Ultimate Hornist _  
Shiro Murakami,_ Ultimate Editor _  
Leo Matthewson,_ Ultimate Archeologist

 **Females**

 _Kagura Kiyomaru,_ Ultimate  Candid Photographer _  
Hokuto Nanto,_ Ultimate Astronomer _  
Chika Sasaki,_ Ultimate Sculptor _  
Shizuka Masuda,_ Ultimate Sleepwalker _  
Harumi Ueda,_ Ultimate Slacker _  
Kikenna Boken,_ Ultimate  Survivor _  
_ _Yura Murao,_ Ultimate Living Statue _  
Tomomi Takizawa,_ Ultimate Vocaloid Producer  
 _Teshima_ , Ultimate Vocaloid

* * *

 **OTHER STUDENTS (72-2)**

 **Males**

 _Sudu Nouya,_ Ultimate Artist _  
Ko Ebi,_ Ultimate Wood Carver _  
Akira Batora,_ Ultimate Demolition Expert _  
Orochimura Oda,_ Ultimate Sharpshooter

 **Females**

 _Hana Sochikawa,_ Ultimate Fangirl  
 _Airi Houseki,_ Ultimate Breather  
 _Maribel Collins,_ Ultimate  Psychological Metaphysician  
 _Valeria Ivanov,_ Ultimate Merchant

* * *

 **SCHOOL STAFF**

 _Jin Kirigiri,_ Hope's Peak Academy Principal  
 _Satoshi Tsukamoto,_ Hope's Peak Academy Scout _  
Saki Raibana,_ Former Ultimate Circus Performer, 72-1's Homeroom Teacher and Gymnastics Team Coach  
 _Great Gozu_ , Former Ultimate Wrestler and 'Warriors of Hope' Coach  
 _Aaron Young_ , Former Ultimate Actor and Head of the Drama Club  
 _Chikako Hanayashi_ , Former Ultimate Goalie and Football Team Coach  
 _Reiji Takumishi_ , Former Ultimate Entrepreneur and Head of the Mathletes


	2. Chapter 1: Welcome to Hope's Peak!

**CHAPTER 1: Welcome to Hope's Peak!**

* * *

 **MORNING**

 **Location: Outside Hope's Peak Academy**

"Okay, I think I'm ready!" Kagura stood up with a puffed chest and a determined expression plastered onto her eyes, and turned around to face the main gate of the building. Hope's Peak Academy was every bit menacing as she was expecting - which was quite a realistic expectation, given the fact she had looked at it no more than ten minutes ago. The walls surrounding the Main Course building were sturdy and thick, just as one would imagine the walls surrounding a great city filled with hope, although it was just a school, in this particular case.

Masaru yawned and stretched his arms upward with a loud moan. "We going in yet?" he groaned sleepily.

"It's been ten minutes since we sat down, Masaru, would you stop that?" Kagura sighed in joked annoyance. "Also, thanks for letting me snap a couple of shots while you were asleep!" she giggled, waking her fellow friend right from his sleep with puffed cheeks.

"What!?"

"Calm down, calm down. You know I'm not that mean." she poked her tongue out. "Now rise and shine, little boy, it's about time we went in."

And with that, Masaru stretched out his legs and backside, gave his cheeks a nice, although slightly agressive rub, and grabbed his backpack off the floor. With a step and a quick bite of the lip, Kagura was on her way to her own future.

* * *

 **MORNING**

 **Location: Hope's Peak Academy Entrance Hall**

The entrance hall was one of the very definitions of 'Ultimate', with various diplomas, certificates and paintings hanging on the white walls of the room, and awards, sculptures and trophies exposed in glass stands near the perimeter. In each corner was a different potted plant, two of them dancing slowly to the beat of the air conditioning above them. Unfortunately, the entrance hall was little more than that - a hall. It was a big square room with ample space and high ceiling, but most of the space was empty would it not for the trinkets on, or near, the walls.

"Hey there!"

Kagura greeted the one person in the room, but to no avail, since she still seemed to be lost in thought. She was facing one of the many art pieces on display in the a glass stand to the right, farthest from the entrance. It was a sculpture made of some white material, from the looks of things, and looked like the bust of a former student, although she couldn't discern who it was from so far away.

The girl herself looked to be confused as well. She was a tad on the short side, and was of average - definitely not Ultimate - build, were it not for her slightly muscular arms. Her tanned skin matched the dark brown in her hair, tied in a neat ponytail and discarded to the right, and it made the white button-up shirt she was wearing stand out all the more, thanks to colour contrast. Her bottom half was decked in the school uniform's mini skirt, as well as black socks that came all the way up to her thighs and black, flat Mary Jane's.

"Hellooooooooooo...?" Kagura kept trying to have the other girl's attention, but she was entranced by the figure in front of her, not giving the Candid Photographer so much as a glance. "What a rude little girl, I was trying to be polite."

"She's looking at that sculpture, Kagura, let's just move along. Maybe she wants to be in her peace and quiet."

Kagura's eyebrows furrowed and she pushed the hem of her lilac jacket back down to her waist, as it had ruffled while she walked in, quickly making a beeline to the quiet girl. Upon further inspection, the girl - who had still not shown any sign of acknowledging Kagura's existence - had a chubby, round shape to her face, and her eyes were even darker than her hair. Suddenly, though, those eyes widened in realization and she let out a victorious shout.

"YES!" she screamed, with a proud smile on her face, before letting out a scared yelp. "Oh, god, what are you doing here!?"

Masaru flinched at the quick and sudden reaction and instinctively apologized. "W-We didn't mean to startle you, sorry! My friend here was just, you know, wondering what you were doing."

"Like hell I am! Why are you staring at that hunk of clay for?" she asked, with as little tact as possible.

The girl was adjusting her apron strap when Kagura came at her with the sudden question, and she flinched, her face turning immediately sour. "Clay!? This is not clay, thank you very much! I'll have you know this is marble, and very nicely carved marble at that! Just because the work of art - no, the masterpiece - in front of us has a distinct white colouring, that doesn't mean it's clay like most people know as the only white sculpting material in existence! In fact, there are lots of maleable substances one can use to make beautiful works of art like this one, and clay and marble are but a fraction of it! Like there's wood, many types of rock, glass, Play-Doh, and many many more! Narrowing all the sculpting materials and their advantages and drawbacks down to just clay is frankly quite ignorant of you, miss!"

Taken aback by the girl's rant, Masaru's eyes widened and he took a step back. "That was... definitely something." he thought to himself, as to not sound rude.

"Giiiiirl, what was that?" Kagura was the one to voice both their thoughts.

The brunette cleared her throat and tightened the strap of the apron around her waist, as it'd come looser when she flailed about in her rant. "I'm sorry." she apologized, regaining her composure. "I tend to be a bit straightforward sometimes, and I also rant when it comes to this type of craft. Put those two together and you get the idea I'm pretty pissed, which I wasn't."

"Ah..." Kagura rose an eyebrow. "Sorry for interrupting, I guess. I'm Kagura, a first-year."

"And I'm Masaru, also a first-year. Nice to meet you!"

"Oh, are you now?" her dark brown eyes lightened up with a gentle sparkle of light. "What a coincidence, so am I! My name is Chika. As for my Ultimate talent, you can probably take a guess."

* * *

 **CHIKA SASAKI  
Ultimate Sculptor**

* * *

"Nice to meet you two" Chika greeted, extending her hand forward and shaking Masaru's, and then Kagura's. The Sculptor's hand was noticeably scarred and rough, probably from all the handiwork that goes into sculpting. "What might your talents be? Hm... Kagura, taking your camera with you like that... you must be some sort of photographer, right? Or maybe a journalist?"

Kagura winked cheekily and disproved her guess. "Kind of right there. I'm the Ultimate _Candid_ Photographer, so you've got yourself half a point."

The two girls laughed a little, and Chika turned to the quieter Masaru. "So... you don't have any features that give away a talent... I don't recall listening to the name Masaru as some kind of prodigy either... I'll take a wild guess and say... Ultimate Actor?"

The red-haired boy only gave a small chuckle and shook his head. "Not even close, although I like acting a lot! I'm the Ultimate Match Maker. I bring couples together, get it?"

"Oh!" the Sculptor exclaimed. "That's cool, I guess. I can kind of see it." Chika's words confused Masaru ever so slightly, making him tilt his head for just a second before going back to his regular posture. "Now that I'm done checking out the art pieces here I was going to the campus center to check my class and all! Do you two wanna come with me?"

"I'd love to." Masaru smiled and looked to Kagura who had nodded as well, giving both of them the will to follow Chika out of the main lobby.

Right after they left the door opposite the main entrance, they were greeted by the warm outside air of the campus. Bright white cement walkways connected the various buildings that the three newcomers could see in the distance, and in the middle of it all a great fountain with a few benches around it and two bulletin boards facing the main entrance, both of which had some sheets of paper pinned onto the cork surface.

"That's the first-year's dorm building!" Kagura exclaimed pointing to the red building. "The blue one next to it is the second-year's, and then the yellow one is the third-year's. The grey building over there is the Main Course building where all the classrooms and such are, the pink building is the extracurricular activity building and that giant white, circular one is the auditorium. It also functions as kind of a school gym, and is where the practical exams are all held!"

Chika chuckled. "You sound like you're really into Hope's Peak Academy, huh, Kagura?"

"I'm obsessed with it!" Kagura exclaimed as she made her way to the fountain with the bulletin boards. "I know all about the layout, the history, and I've got some information on previous classes here, too! I could talk about this for _hours_ so don't try me."

"Please don't." Masaru sighed jokingly. "I've had more than a few hours of my life snuffed away to listen to her talk about it."

The trio was quickly approaching the bulletin board, just to notice there was another person - a boy - already scrolling down his finger over the paper, probably trying to find his name and, ultimately, his class, much like Masaru, Kagura and Chika were. He was conveniently turned around, leaving his face hidden.

"Excuse me" Kagura tucked herself beside him so she could see the list of names on the board.

It was at that time that the black-haired girl could really take a look at the boy in front of her. He had tanned skin and was slightly toned in build, and his dreamy, sky-blue eyes contrasted the jet-black darkness of his hair - or what little could be seen of it under his black snapback with cyan detailings that seemed to be handmade. His clothing style was casual - an unbuttoned white shirt with rolled up sleeves over a cyan tanktop, as well as black khakis and cyan sneakers to tie the look together. Slumped over his chest were a pair of earbud headphones.

"Be my guest." the boy stepped aside ever so slightly. "I take it you're all first years, huh?" he said with a laidback smile. "I'm Shinjiro Minoto, nice to meet you three."

Kagura had recognized the name from her late night escapades at age 15 to the local night club, as well as from the list she had just perused. "Minoto? We're on the same class, dude." she announced nonchalantly. "Masaru, Chika, you're in class 1 as well."

"No way, really?" Chika was visibly surprised. "Talk about coincidence."

"Awesome, dude, that means we're all lumped together." Shinjiro reinforced. "Masaru and Chika... From the names I remember, you two are the Match Maker and the Sculptor, right?"

Masaru nodded. "Yeah. I'm Masaru."

"And I'm Chika! Nice to meet you!"

Quickly nodding at the Sculptor's introduction, Shinjiro took a step and wrapped his arm friendlily around Masaru's shoulder, making him flinch. "So, Match Maker, huh? You make matches, then? Kind of an odd talent to have! Hope we don't have any Ultimate Arsonists around or we're in for a world of pain, am I right, bro?" he joked around, easing the red-haired boy out of his initial reaction.

"Y-Yeah..." he laughed shyly.

Chika was the one to respond, as Masaru was noticeably taken by his own awkwardness. "Actually, he matches people together. Like in couples and such."

"Ahh, I see!" he said ruffling the shorter boy's hair. "Hehe, you could net me a hot chick, then! I got a feeling we're gonna be good friends, huh, Masaru?"

The Match Maker shrugged and laughed it off, tensing a bit since he wasn't used to being so close to another guy - his friends were mostly girls, after all. "I'm curious, though. What's your talent, Shinjiro?"

"Call me Shinji, or something, bro!" he reintroduced himself with a new nickname and was about to reveal his talent when Kagura interrupted him.

"He's the Ultimate DJ. I've heard of him and his work a few times." Kagura explained. "Been to a few music festivals where he participated, too! I even went backstage a couple of them, but I'd be shocked if you remember me." she laughed, and got back together with the other three people.

* * *

 **SHINJIRO MINOTO  
Ultimate DJ**

* * *

"No way!" The now exposed DJ exclaimed. "Are you Kagura!?"

Kagura was visibly confused. How would an internationally known DJ remember a girl who had been in contact with him twice, three times at most? "Y-Yeah, that'd be me..." she mumbled. "You actually do know me?"

"Of course I do! Do you think every fan tries to snap a candid shot of me every seven seconds when they come backstage?" he laughed, loosening the grip around Masaru and shoving his hands in his pockets. "You stuck out to me, girl, obviously."

"Ayyy" Kagura cheered. "Who knew I'd be so unforgettable!" she clenched her fists and lay them on her hips, giving her a proud posture. "I really didn't think you'd remember me though, that's a shocker."

The four classmates continued talking for a couple more minutes - Kagura and Shinjiro taking the chance to make new friends, while Chika and Masaru were more listeners than anything else, be it for Chika's observing and listening habits or Masaru's overall shyness. "Guys, is there anywhere we should be going? Like a ceremony or meeting or something?" Masaru asked, trying to fit in the conversation.

Shinjiro then had a sudden realization, and facepalmed as he remembered something. "That's right! There was a note somewhere on the corkboard." he stood up from the bench he sat on and rushed over to the bulletin board trying to find the note. "Here... we should meet in the main class building so we can meet our classmates... and our homeroom teacher as well. Then we're all scheduled to go to a ceremony in the Hope's Peak Auditorium. Where the hell is that?"

"White building." Kagura pointed over to the giant dome-like building in the distance. "That's the auditorium over there. Shouldn't we go check our dorms first though? I heard the graduates from last year - a.k.a. the 69th Class - volunteered to make all dorms look pretty and ready for the new year. Careful though, there was an Ultimate Prankster in that year."

"A prankster?" Masaru sighed. "With my luck, he'll have planted traps all over my room."

"Don't worry though! There was also an Ultimate Maid on the 69th Class roster, so you might be lucky." Kagura reassured her friend, recalling her vast amount of knowledge of Hope's Peak Academy history.

Chika's interest was officially piqued when Kagura proved herself as an encyclopedia of Hope's Peak Academy facts "You sure know a lot about Hope's Peak, huh? Were there any scandals we should know of?" she butted in, letting her curiosity get the best of her.

"Well I don't want to seem like a gossip-ish girl, _but I am_ and _hell yeah_ there is! Hope's Peak has a _seriously_ messed up history in some parts. Rumors of an organization called the Ultimate Despairs trying to take over the school of hope, the disappearance of an entire class thirty years ago, a secret operation trying to create a person with every talent imaginable..." she went on and on about unresolved mysteries of the school. "If I was an Ultimate Detective or something I'd be all up on this school's archives to try and find out all about this! It's all rumors though..."

Shinjiro was shocked by how much Kagura knew about the school, but he thought it best to ask the details some other time. He went back to include Masaru into the group by wrapping his arm around his neck. "So, bro, let's go! We have dorms to see, classmates to meet, and boring ceremonies to attend to. Kagura, Chika, let's go!"

* * *

 **LATE MORNING**

 **Location: First-Year Dorms**

"How are mixed dorms a good idea?" Chika asked herself in a half-complaint. "I bet there'll be all sorts of hormone heavy boys roaming the halls, goddamnit. I mean, I don't want to sound bitchy or anything, but just imagine all the noise."

Masaru and Shinjiro looked at each other, and then back at the Sculptor. "Well, I don't normally make lots of noise. I play videogames a lot, but I normally have the volume turned down so I don't disturb my sister back home."

"And I mix music and all that using my trusty earbuds." Shinjiro explained picking up the slumped headphones from his tanktop's collar. "So you don't need to worry about us two."

"Where're you guys stationed?" Kagura asked. "And who's your roommate?"

"R-Roommates!? I thought we were all in separate rooms, though..." Masaru sighed. "Now I'll be forced to hang out with even more guys... great." he added very lowly, low enough so no one could understand.

Chika recalled the room assignments on the billboard in the entrance of the dorm building. "I think I read that every room has two people in it. They're both the same gender and from the same class as well. I'm with the Ultimate Astronomer, whoever she is. I didn't catch her name."

"I'm with some chick named Yura. She's the Ultimate 'Living Statue'." Kagura added, airquoting the unusual talent her roommate boasted. "Who're you in with, Shinji?"

"The Ultimate Archeologist. His name's Leo, so I'm guessing he's foreign." he revealed. "You don't know your roommate, bro? Let's go check it out downstairs, then, come on." And with that, Shinjiro ignored Masaru's refusal of his offer and kept walking with the red-haired boy towards the stairs to the first floor.

Chika and Kagura were left alone in the hallway until a pale girl holding a rolled blanket appeared from the stairs Shinji and Masaru had just gone down. Her chest-length hair was light brown in colour, and was messy and curly, almost a little wild, greatly contrasting the neat fringe that covered her forehead. Her light gold eyes - similar to Masaru's - were feral and angry-looking, almost she was a wild animal ready to pounce on the two girls. Her clothing and overall fashion was unique, as her fingernails were all coloured differently and her shoes were strangely missing. Behind the baby-blue blanket she had in front of her, was a pink jumper with a few black and white stars knitted on it, and a black-knee skirt that matched the darkness of her socks.

Kagura hesitantly took a step towards her and greeted the girl. "Heyo! How are you?" she said with a warm, welcoming smile.

"Hello there! I'm Chika, and you are?" her classmate introduced herself as well, trying to ease the newcomer into a conversation.

"Ka... gura?" the girl spoke lowly. Her voice sounded deep, and was awkwardly strained and forced, almost like the blanket girl was being choked, or maybe was simply exhausted beyond belief. Kagura stepped forward, thinking the weight of her blanket was tiring her out and lent her a hand, trying to take the fabric from her. "N-No!" the raspy voice responded angrily as the girl took a step back.

"Wh-What's up...?" Kagura lifted her hands on instinct and her eyes widened in worry. What had she done wrong? She was just trying to help. "Is something wrong with that blanket?" she asked as she stepped forward once again, trying to catch a glimpse of whatever was inside it, only to glance over a ball of human skin. "What's that? Is that your little sister? I can help you carry her... what's your name?"

The girl had gone completely silent, although she clearly wanted to respond. "Is something wrong?" Chika chimed in and went over to comfort her, only to be ignored as the quiet girl stepped aside and walked by the two others without so much as a word, entering a previously unlocked room. "Kagura, isn't that your room?"

"Y-Yeah! Um, excuse me, are you Yura!?" she shouted down the hall, catching the girl's attention once more. She carefully nodded and slowly went into the room.

* * *

 **YURA MURAO**  
 **Ultimate Living Statue**

* * *

"Ah, figures I'd have some weirdo as my roommate... she seems... nice enough, though, I guess? Wish me luck."

"Good luck" Chika waved Kagura off with a smile and turned around, stomping the red carpet away from her position and up the stairs to her own room. Maybe her roommate was already there waiting for her.

Kagura entered the room and closed the door behind her. A second glance around the room she had visited not much longer than five minutes prior made the fact she was really in this school sink in all the more. There were two dark wooden desks on opposite sides of the room, and the floor was decked in wooden boards, different from the fluffy red carpet in the hallway. A big single window boasted itself on the wall that led to the outside, giving off a great view of the campus. There were two bookcases, one on each wall, both of which empty and cleaned to sparkling perfection, much like the rest of the room. Kagura's baggage was already next to her single bed, between the bookcase and the desk.

"Nice room, huh? It's like mirrored or something. Pretty cool." Kagura tried to make conversation with the speechless girl, but as expected, had no reply. "Yura?" The girl looked over to the Candid Photographer from the bed, only to be blinded by a sudden flash of light. Yura shook her head and blinked away the flashing blotches of light from her eyes as Kagura came back into view. Her eyes were angrier than before, but Kagura was oblivious to it, and kept praising her photo. "You look so silly! See?" she showed her camera, only to find a brilliant candid shot of Yura.

Yura simply sighed and went back to the bed where the rolled blanket was, then took a little notebook and pencil from her pocket. Slowly and a bit sloppily, the pencil wrote something on the sheet of paper under it. "My name is Yura Murao. I'm sorry to say that I cannot speak due to a disease that makes my vocal chords very fragile. The little girl in the blanket is not my sister, but my daughter."

"Y-You have a daughter!?" Kagura stuttered as she asked, an air of shock very apparent in her tone. Yura simply nodded, and then looked at the snoozing toddler, making a warm smile grow on her face.

Soon enough, the quiet girl kept writing. "I'm sorry if this bothers you but there's nothing I can do about it."

"No, no, don't worry! I can help you. I have a little brother myself, so I can even help you take care of- what's her name?"

"Sachi"

"Sachi! What a beautiful name!"

"I'd rather you not help me. Not until I fully trust you. I'm very picky about who my daughter is with. Don't take this the wrong way, please."

Kagura simply nodded in understanding. "Got you! But if you're ever in a bind and need me to take care of her along with you, I'd be glad to help. What about her father, though?"

Yura stopped for a while before begginning to write, biting her bottom lip. "Don't ask."

"Hm, mysterious much? That's alright, you must have your reasons!" Kagura smiled and hugged Yura, who flinched back at first but eventually hugged the Candid Photographer. "I'm glad we're roommates! Let's hope we get along well, okay?" Yura smiled and nodded in response. "I'm going to meet my friends now, wanna come?"

The Living Statue looked around at her unpacked bags and back at Kagura, and then shook her head. "I'd rather get my stuff straight first, thanks, and I want to be alone with Sachi for a bit. See you later!"

"Okay then! I'll see you in a while for the class meeting, are you coming?" Yura nodded her affirmation and the girls waved goodbye to each other.

Crossing a mostly vacant hallway and going downstairs, Chika, Shinjiro and Masaru were nowhere to be found, which made Kagura sigh in slight annoyance at their tardiness and sit down to appreciate her surroundings. The main lounge for the first-year dorms was nothing to sneeze at. The carpet was a red colour like the outside walls, but the inside were painted a much lighter shade of beige. There were a couple tables thrown around, as well as puffs and chairs around them, and a door on the westernmost wall that led to a rec room, if the sign above it was any indication. There was what looked like a reception desk with a plaque reading 'BE RIGHT BACK' on it, and behind it was a bookcase and a sort of letter cabinet, except it was blocked off by thick glass and used to store dorm room keys.

Ten minutes of waiting on her own later, Shinjiro and Masaru came downstairs as expected, with two other boys beside them.

The boy beside Masaru had some physical similarities to the Match Maker next to him. Ginger hair with darker red highlights, and an inviting amber eye - the other one was a more calming shade of green - and thin lips, but the similarities stopped there. The boy's face was somewhat dotted with scars and his jawline was perfectly chiseled, the like of which only male models could aspire to have. His tanned skin was stretched by his muscles in all the right places, giving him an athletic vibe. He bore a tight orange muscle tanktop and blue camo shorts, black sneakers and a red bandana around his neck, contrasting the sharp white fang he had attached to a string on his neck as well. He also had what appeared to be a knife sheath wrapped on his leg, which made Kagura immediately flinch and look at the other boy.

The guy beside Shinjiro was by far the tallest of the four, and perhaps the thinnest, beating Masaru by a hair, especially since Shinjiro and the fang necklace boy were muscular. His hair and short, and blond messy streaks were coming down from the Indiana Jones-ish hat we wore on his head, and his eyes were a cold, yet very nice shade of grey. His clothing included a beige sweater, with the hem of a white button-up ever so slightly appearing, black pants and worn-out walking boots, giving him the look befitting of an Ultimate Explorer.

"Hey guys, took you long enough!" Kagura complained, letting out a yawn right afterwards. "What was the hold up?"

Shinjiro was the one to reply. "Sorry, sorry, we went to our rooms and met these two. Introduce yourselves!" he added giving both of the unknown boys a look.

"Well, well, I had no idea your friend here was so good-looking, huh, Masaru?" the fang necklace boy flirted, elbowing Masaru slightly. "Hey pretty face, I'm Ryuk. Ryuk Hoshigaki, and I guess we're on the same class now, huh? Nice to meetcha."

* * *

 **RYUK HOSHIGAKI**  
 **Ultimate Shark Hunter**

* * *

Kagura blushed and greeted him, giving him another look. Not only was he _really_ attractive, he also had a pretty sexy voice if she did say so herself. "Hey there" she chuckled. "I'm Kagura, nice to meet you! And you are?"

"Leo Matthewson, sweetie! Nice to meet you!" he smiled and went over to give the Candid Photographer a peck on the cheek as greeting. "I'm Shinjiro's roommate."

* * *

 **LEO MATTHEWSON**  
 **Ultimate Archeologist**

* * *

"That name doesn't sound very japanese, now does it?" Kagura laughed. "You from abroad?"

"Indeed I am!" he replied, leaving Kagura to guess and connect his accent to, clearly, an English-speaking country. "I'm from Canada. I was scouted out for my work in the archeology field but the Canada branch already had an Ultimate Archeologist in their classes this year, and since I can speak japanese just fine, they sent me here. Kind of sucks, but I'm all for getting to know other places!"

The Candid Photographer mouthed an 'oh' and Masaru spoke up. "So, Kagura, where's Chika? I thought she was only gonna check out her room."

"Heh, so did I." she rolled her eyes. "She probably got caught up talking to her roommate or unpacking or something. Just like you two, I bet." she winked at Shinjiro and Masaru, earning an apology for their lateness. "It's okay, it's okay, I'm joking. We should really get going to the class meeting though. It starts in thirty and I still wanna check out the school building."

Ryuk tapped the knife sheath on his thigh with his finger a bit, throwing Kagura a nice smile. "Let's go then! I've been to the building before to check it out, so if you need any directions I can help."

"Oh believe me, she won't need any directions." Masaru pointed out her not-so secret obsession.

"Damn right I won't" she praised herself with a smirk. "But you're free to come, guys, the more the merrier."

* * *

 **LATE MORNING**

 **Location: Hope's Peak Academy Main Building**

With a few nods of agreement, Kagura led the boys out of the dorm building and across campus until the main gate of the school building was only a few inches away. Kagura's breath stopped short and her eyes widened at the sight of being so close to the edifice that would, in a few days, become the stage for her academic enrollment, just as she had dreamed of all those years.

Masaru smiled at his friend's enthusiasm, still supporting Shinjiro's arm on his shoulders and slowly becoming used to it, although he really didn't expect to be so close to a guy this soon in his school life. The DJ's eyes widened at the sheer scale of the building and mouthed a silent 'wow' before speaking up. "This place is insane, dude! Can't believe we're actually here!"

"I know right?" Kagura swooned. "Let's give this place a look before going to class!"

"Is that really okay?" Masaru asked, scratching the back of his head. "We don't want to be late..."

Shinjiro ruffled his new buddy's red hair a bit and laughed. "Don't be such a stick in the mud, Masaru! We won't be late!"

"Shinji's right, dude. Besides, this can't be that big of a building." Ryuk stated. "There's just a bunch of classrooms here, I reckon."

Kagura turned around and pointed at the Shark Hunter accusingly with a serious expression on his face. "How _dare_ you say such a thing!? The Main Course building has loads of stuff! Aside from the classrooms, there's also a biology, chemistry and physics lab, a gallery, a library and an art room!"

"Sh-Shouldn't all those..." Ryuk was a bit taken aback by the Candid Photographer's outburst. "...be in the extracurricular activities building?"

"If I remember correctly," Leo replied. "the extracurricular building specializes in sports and electronics. Stuff like archery, soccer, basketball, tennis and all that, and also gaming, anime, woodshop and robotics. The remaining clubs all have other places to be in."

Ryuk simply nodded and looked at Masaru and Shinjiro, then back at Kagura and Leo and thought aloud. "If there's really that much to see here, we wouldn't be able to finish on time... so we can take a look afterwards? Like after class and the meeting at the auditorium."

Kagura glared at the Shark Hunter and sighed. "I'm going to walk around for a while. You're free to come if you want, but if you don't want to, you can go wherever really. Is that okay?"

"I guess." Masaru smiled, although Kagura didn't look as happy. "I'm going to class and meeting everyone."

"I'll be going with my little bro too!" Shinji voiced. "Leo, Ryuk?"

Leo apologized, but the explorer in his veins was too strong to battle against, and as such, he and Kagura ventured into the halls by themselves leaving the three boys behind.

"Buncha jokers, eh?" Leo jokingly reinforced the 'eh' as to show how much a stereotypical canadian he wasn't. "Glad to know I have myself an adventure partner."

Kagura laughed at the stressed mannerism and shook her head. "I'm not sure about that. I'm not that much of an adventurer, really. Outgoing, yeah sure, but as far as going out into the wild and doing stuff... I guess it's not my thing."

"So you prefer building exploring over taking a look at the great outdoors?" Leo asked rethorically, being answered by a simple 'Mhm' by Kagura. "Hm, I can't really relate... Archeology is a field that involves _lots_ of fieldwork. Way more than you could imagine."

"Sounds tough. You don't ever get bored?"

"Nah, not at all. It's fun. Digging around, exploring the unknown. It's really cool to me."

"Th-"

"OH MY GOD." a high-pitched squeal echoed in the otherwise empty hallway, making both Kagura and Leo flinch in its direction. After looking around, Kagura focused on the end of the hallway where a medium-height girl stood. She had a shoulder-length bobcut and big green eyes, and bore a black and white top while rocking black skinny jeans, complimented with black and white sneakers. Around her arms were dozens of bracelets that were easily identifiable as merch from various american, japanese and british pop singers and bands. "Y-Y-You're! YOU ARE." With another shriek, the girl made a beeline to the two Ultimates and stopped only a couple inches away from them - which in Kagura's book was a bit too close.

"C-Can I help you?" Leo tried to be polite, but was a bit anxious over the girl's erratic breathing.

"Hell yes you can!" she took a small notebook and a pen from her right-side back pocket, and handed them over to the Archeologist. "Please, please, please, can I have your autograph, Leo!? And yours too, Kagura! Holy _CRAP_ I'm so honored! Coming to this school was a goddamn _BLESSING_."

"S-Sure?" Kagura complied hesitantly. Who was this chick? Was she a student too? "If so, please don't be in my class..." she thought quietly. "I'm not ready to deal with your loud personality every morning..."

"Who should I sign for?" Leo asked.

The girl's voice was louder and higher than anyone would expect, given her petite stature. "Me, duh! The name's Hana, and I'm this year's Ultimate Fangirl! It's so so so so nice to meet you, oh mY GOD"

* * *

 **HANA SOCHIKAWA**  
 **Ultimate Fangirl**

* * *

"Figures she'd be an Ultimate Fangirl..." Kagura thought, forcing a smile as she signed 'With love, to Hana. From Kagura Kiyomaru' onto her notebook. Given the chance to skim through the previous pages, Kagura recognized many names from the music, writing, modelling, acting and dancing industries, along with a few others she couldn't remember. "There you go." she closed the notebook and handed the items back to the smiling girl.

"Thank you so much, Kagura! I'm afraid we're not on the same class though! You're in 72-1 and I'm in 72-2! Oops, so close, haha, later! I have to go to the bathrooooooooooom!" she yelled as she sprinted down the hall, her voice becoming more and more distant.

Leo had a couple droplets of sweat racing down his forehead at a turtle's pace, and his confused eyes mirrored Kagura's. "That was... something."

"Tell me about it..." the Photographer was speechless. "Should we... you know. Go downstairs? I'm not ready to run into any more... people with colorful personalities like the banshee wannabe."

The Archeologist laughed Kagura's suggestion off. "You do realize we could have worse people in our class, right?" And with a groan of realization, Leo and Kagura kept on exploring the school for a few more minutes, only to rush downstairs just before the appointed meeting time in the classroom. And Hana was by far the least colourful person they'd find.

"Kiyomaru-kun and Matthewson-kun, is that right?" An older lady asked the couple just as they entered the classroom labeled 1-A, and her attire was anything but ordinary. Her blond hair, tied in braids was flowing from below a red silk top hat with a black stripe of fabric touching the hem of the headgear. She wore a red vest over a plain-white button-up shirt and red pants, along with black loafers. Her red vest had a breast pocket were a small white handkerchief could be seen. "Welcome to class, you guys, but... you're late."

With unimaginable speed, she took two small daggers out of her pants pockets and threw it at Kagura and Leo, one of them scraping the girl's jacket just barely so it could only graze the skin of her shoulder, and the other hitting Leo's hat right in the middle, pinning it on the wall behind us.

"Wh-What was that!?" Kagura complained, raising her hand and placing it on her shoulder, trying to hold in the blood she thought was there, only to realize the cut was as superficial as could be. "What gives, why would you do that!?"

"I'm not into tardiness, Kiyomaru-kun. From now on, you should arrive on time should you want to avoid this little scuffle." she said, with a childish, innocent smile on her face. "As far as introductions are concerned, my name is Saki, and I'm your homeroom teacher for the year!"

* * *

 **SAKI RAIBANA**  
 **Former Ultimate Circus Performer**

* * *

Kagura nodded and looked at the class in front of her. Two empty seats right at the front remained, one at each corner. Leo and the Candid Photographer exchanged a look and sighed as Kagura went to the one farthest to the door, and Leo took the seat right by it, retrieving the hat from the wall while he was at it as well.

"Now that everyone's here... roll call."

* * *

 **A/N: That's all for now! The remainder of the characters will be introduced in the next one or two chapters, so be sure to stay tuned! Tell me what you liked the most and the least about the chapter in the reviews - constructive criticism is always nice!**

 **As you might have noticed, Kagura is taking the role of protagonist for the story! As much as I loved everyone's submissions, I feel like they're a bit too "main character's best friend"-ish to make the cut - and it seems most of you guys felt that way too! Either way, I'll make sure to make Kagura as much of an interesting protagonist as I can!**

 **QOTC: Out of all the people introduced this chapter, who do you think will be your favourite? And who are you most excited to meet in the next chapters, based solely on their talent?**

 **Until the next chapter, Yamazaki out!**


	3. Chapter 2: New Places, New Faces

**CHAPTER 2: New Places, New Faces**

* * *

 **LATE MORNING**

 **Location: Hope's Peak Academy Main Building**

Kagura tapped her fingers on the desk as her first impression with the homeroom teacher seemed to go less than stellarly. Mrs. Raibana was skimming through a few pages of data, probably looking for the student list of the first group of the 72nd Class - which would be Kagura's class. She took the time to quickly go over whoever was by her side and would basically be forced to talk to her during boring classes. To her left, unsurprisingly enough was a wall, adorned with a window to let some sunlight inside the classroom, but to her right was a classmate she had yet to meet.

She had her chin resting on the palm of her hands, almost as is she was showing off the mustard-yellow bandana tied on her wrist. The light purple tint of her eyes contrasted her tanned skin beautifully, and she had short curly hair that was also shaded a deep black. Her arms were somewhat muscular and the left arm that was in Kagura's sights was ornamented with a scar right above her bicep - from the looks of it, it seemed to be proof of a scuffle. Her clothes consisted of black war pants and thick black boots, as well as a sleeveless white top with a yin-yang pendant dangling on her chest. She also had a hammer tied onto the belt buckle near her left hip, and it seemed like there was another one on her right hip as well. Kagura could only imagine what was inside the backpack she kept on the floor under her seat.

"Ah, there we go!" Mrs. Raibana cheered making the noise in the classroom quiet down. "Roll call now... I'll be calling your names, and when I do, I want you to come over here and get your electronic handbook! You probably all know what it does, but I'll explain it anyways when you all have them, okay?" she brought her pointer finger to the table and read the first name on the list. "Masaru Arakawa?"

Kagura heard a chair two or three rows behind her scratch the floorboards. "That'd be me..." she heard Masaru's voice clearly. He stepped forward and grabbed the device before returning to his seat.

Before their teacher proceeded with calling the names on the list, Kagura noticed a whisper behind her. "Hey, bro, let me check that out!" she identified the voice as being Shinjiro's, both from his tone of voice and use of the word 'bro' when referring to Masaru.

"Next up, Kikenna Boken"

"I'm here!" the girl beside Kagura - the one she was just checking out - cheered loudly, startling most of the class.

* * *

 **KIKENNA BOKEN**  
 **Ultimate Survivor**

* * *

The short-haired girl proved the Candid Photographer right when she noticed the other hammer hanging from her right hip nonchalantly, as if Kikenna thought it to be the most normal accessory to wear next to a girl's earrings, necklaces or bangles. With a cheeky smile and a proud stance, she stood in front of the class and introduced herself. "Name's Kikenna Boken, guys! Nice to meet ch'all!" she greeted the class both very cheerfully and very, _very_ loudly.

"Nice to meet you." Mrs. Raibana greeted her back, although most of the class was taken aback by her presentation - and the remaining minority couldn't be bothered to give a crap about her introduction. "Here's your handbook, Kikenna. Let us hope we work together well this year." she added, and Kikenna energetically went back to her front row seat and fussed around with the device she'd been given. "Next up... Harumi Ueda."

"It's... Haaaaa-Haru, for short" a loud yawn came from the back of the class, and then sprouted into an angelic female voice. Kagura turned around to see a girl limping over from a seat in the third row to the front of the class, where she'd be given her handbook. She didn't strike one as the morning type of person as she walked over slowly but surely to the teacher's side. Kagura took a second to study her features for future reference.

Her light brown hair reached her lower back, inching away towards the waist and a side bang covered one of her green eyes. Her skin was a mixture of pale and tan, giving it a beige sort of colouring, and her figure was that of a stereotypical 'hot babe' as Kagura's friends back home would say, from her striking bust to her thick hips, all covered by grey sweatpants and a plain white t-shirt.

"So I've got to introduce myself, right?" she sighed. "What a chore... I'm Haru, Ultimate Slacker... nice to meet you."

* * *

 **HARUMI UEDA**  
 **Ultimate Slacker**

* * *

After the Ultimate Survivor's bubbling and explosive personality, someone like Harumi - or Haru, as she seemed to prefer - was truly a breath of fresh air, if not a bit unexpected. When Kagura put her eyes on Kikenna's person and studied her clothing and personality, it was almost as if she breathed an internal annoyed sigh for she thought all her classmates would be this kind of person. Not that she felt like being surrounded by happy and energetic people was a bad thing, she just felt like having more variety in the school where the world's greatest talents gather.

"Can I go now?" Haru's shoulders slumped and she cocked her head to the teacher as she asked for permission, being given a nod together with her handbook. With slow, silent steps she made her way to her seat and rested her chin on the palm of her hand, yawning once more.

Mrs. Raibana looked down at the paper and ticked one more name off the list before going on to the fourth. "Tomomi Takizawa."

"I'm heeeeeere!" a robotic, anime-like voice came from the seat right behind Kagura and she felt a singular drop of sweat go down her face.

 _'I have a bloody robot on my class.'_ was her first thought, quickly followed by _'or even worse, an_ anime _robot. This can't be good.'_

Kagura's worries were quickly shattered once a new voice arose in the form of laughter. "Hahaha, sorry, sorry. Felt like testing out my new project here!" the female voice was followed by a few steps just before the person came into the Candid Photographer's view. The girl had a heart-shaped face as well as skinny limbs, chest and torso, her eyes had both the shape of an almond and the colour of a hazelnut, and her long hair cascaded down in a light brown stream all the way to the light pink tips, tied into two pigtails. Her fair skin was covered by a light blue skirt, white knee socks and pink and white sneakers as well as a salmon pink cosplay hoodie of a character Kagura couldn't quite identify.

"I'm Tomomi Takizawa, and I'm the Ultimate Vocaloid Producer!" she typed something into a small device she had in her hand and the same robotic, animated voice from before cheered. "Nice to meet you all!" she then chuckled and introduced her robotic ally. "This voice you hear is Teshima, my most recent project and most successful - award-winning - project! I hope we can get along." she smiled shyly, completely contrasting her apparent outburst of energy.

* * *

 **TOMOMI TAKIZAWA**  
 **Ultimate Vocaloid Producer**

 **TESHIMA  
Ultimate Vocaloid?**

* * *

The cheerful girl smiled at us and gave us a greeting bow before receiving her handbook, which she carefully swapped with the anime-girl-voice-producer device by putting it in her hoodie pocket, and took her seat. Next up on the introductions was Shinjiro, followed by Leo and Ryuk, and then Chika, giving Kagura ample time to breathe in before she saw the rest of her classmates she had yet to meet.

"Kagura Kiyomaru?" Mrs. Raibana called her and gave her a quick wink and a tap on the arm, right on the slit she had made herself when she threw the knife. Kagura threw her a half-annoyed-half-regretful smile, filled with her characteristic sarcasm and bluntness, and faced the rest of the class, being met with more fresh faces she still hadn't met, as they had yet to introduce themselves.

"I'm Kagura Kiyomaru, Ultimate Candid Photographer. I'm a big fan of this school and I hope I can take loads of cool shots of us during the school year!" she introduced herself casually before the door to the classroom opened. Behind it was a blond man with fair skin and fully decked out in leather. "Can I help you?" Kagura bursted out by instinct, getting raised eyebrows from both the newcomer and a few classmates.

Mrs. Raibana walked over to the man and they whispered something while Kagura returned to her seat and started messing with the device she'd been given, ignoring the obvious looks she was getting for the sudden response to the unknown blond. After a quick exchange of words, the Former Ultimate Circus Performer came back to the front of the class and gave an unexpected announcement.

"Thanks to Kagura and Leo over here arriving late, we won't be able to finish up introductions quite yet..." she eyed Kagura with a disappointed face, to which the young girl simply shrugged. No use crying over spilt milk, she thought. "We're being called earlier to the auditorium for the first-years meeting with principal Kirigiri. Let us all be on our best behaviour, or I'll be sure to not miss you when I throw my knives next time." she warned with a cheeky laugh tacked on afterwards, and the sixteen students who were sat down hurried off outside.

* * *

 **EARLY AFTERNOON**

 **Location: Hope's Peak Academy Auditorium**

On her way to the auditorium, she felt a nudge on the shoulder. Turning her neck to the left revealed a familiar male, one of eight she recognized from her own class. His hair was a wild afro, although it was tamed by a wristband resulting in a weird ponytail that somehow accentuated his features. He had a lean build, with dark brown eyes and a bit of stubble covering his jaw. His clothing consisted of a dark blue sweater-vest over a light blue polo, with its wrist-long sleeves pulled back up to the elbow, as well as black oxford shoes and light khaki trousers.

"Hello there, or may I say, salutations, my new classmate." He spoke very fluently although at a bit of an unnatural pace that would seem awkward, were it not for his confidence while speaking. "I do believe your name is Kagura, correct? The Ultimate Candid Photographer?"

"Yeah!" Kagura nodded and happily greeted her new mate with a handshake. "I don't think you introduced yourself, right?"

"You'd be correct! What a stunning observation!" he praised. "I am Arturo Bianchi, one of the freshly picked prodigies in this year's roster for the magnificent school we have found ourselves in for the past few hours! It is an immense pleasure for me to make your acquaintance!"

* * *

 **ARTURO BIANCHI**  
 **Ultimate Linguist**

* * *

"You're very wellspoken, Arturo. Is your talent related to public speaking or languages? Maybe writing?" Kagura tried her best to guess, while keeping up with the class's pace as the auditorium came into view. "Ultimate Poet, maybe?"

Arturo rubbed his thumb against the stubble on his chin and gave a sly smile. "Yes, I do possess a talent that has a correlation to languages, although I'm afraid 'Ultimate Poet' is not it! I am an Ultimate Linguist, by which I mean I'm exceptionally skilled at the art that is speech and writing! It's a big passion of mine, as I assume photography is to you, correct?"

Kagura laughed a bit and agreed with Arturo, making small talk for the two other minutes that it took for them to reach the auditorium doors. As they entered the grand building, the young Linguist gracefully bid his farewell to his new classmate before taking a seat farther away from hers, next to a tall bulky guy with poofy brown hair and eyes coloured an interesting, almost sparkly shade of green.

Taking her eyes off of her new acquaintance, Kagura noticed who'd been sitting next to her. "Like the new people?" Masaru asked with a smile on his face, and surprisingly, without Shinji around, although the empty seat to Masaru's left could change that in a flash. "I'm really excited about our classmates, they all seem really cool people."

"Yeah, they seem pretty nice. Got your eyes on anyone specific?" Kagura asked, wagging her hips in a mockingly seductive gesture, making Masaru chuckle and shrug.

"Nah, I'm better off just chilling with you for the rest of the year..." he sighed and threw his head back, knocking his chair go an inch or so behind. Then, as if on cue, a male and discreetly foreign voice started stuttering behind the two friends, making them instinctively turn around.

The voice quieted down right when Masaru looked behind him, being met by a boy with long dark blue hair and orange eyes, biting his bottom lip with an uncomfortably scared look on his face. "S-Sorry about that... D-Didn't mean to, um, to... be rude... but p-please, could you, um, give me a bit more... um, more space? Please?" he stuttered with a shy smile on his face - revealing red spots on his teeth that turned out to be braces.

Masaru looked behind him to find the cramped auditorium had mobile chairs, and the new guy had just been bumped in the knees by Masaru's. "Oh, sorry, my bad..." Said the red-haired boy as he pulled the chair forward and turned back around. "My name is Masaru. I'm the Ultimate Match Maker."

"And I'm Kagura, the Ultimate Candid Photographer! Nice to meet you..." Kagura trailed off so the blue-haired boy could complete the sentence.

"S-Sudu! It's v-very nice to meet you, too..." the blue-haired boy smiled, showing off his red braces in more detail and uncrossing his arms, revealing his green t-shirt with a black pair of katanas crossed in an X-shape, matching his green sneakers and black jeans.

* * *

 **SUDU NOUYA**  
 **Ultimate Artist**

* * *

"I don't think we've met... are you not a first-year?" Kagura asked inquisitively.

Sudu scratched his neck and blushed in response. "Y-Yeah I am... I'm just not in your c-class..."

"Are you in 72-2, then?" she continued and was only able to get a nod as a reply.

Suddenly, Sudu and Kagura's quick introductory conversation was being cut off by a loud microphone '1, 2, 3 testing' and Kagura turned around to see what was up at the main stage. And just like she'd expected from the moment she stepped foot into the campus, there he was - the principal of Hope's Peak Academy and the man responsible for Kagura being there - Jin Kirigiri, surrounded by five other adults, among which stood Mrs. Raibana.

"Young ladies and young men in front of me, I'd like to start this short speech by first giving you a formal welcome into Hope's Peak Academy!" the headmaster started, being pleasantly stopped by a round of applause from the audience. "It's with great honor that our esteemed academy opens its doors to receive students from all around the world and strives to mold each and every one of them into our society's symbols of hope!"

Kagura couldn't help but swoon over to Masaru. "He's sooooo cool..." she whispered, not to disrupt the peace of the students around her. "This is exactly like I expected! This man is the beating heart of Hope's Peak Academy, isn't it exciting, Masaru!?"

"Sure is" Masaru chuckled. "Sounds like this'll be pretty long though... I think I'll doze off for a while..."

"Oh no you won't, Masaru Arakawa!" Kagura swung her elbow and hit the Match Maker's arm with it resulting in a muffled groan of pain. "You better appreciate the time and effort that went into this speech! Make a good first impression, for heaven's sake!"

"Ow, ow, ow, okay, jeez... Aggressive, much?" Masaru sighed in defeat, and Kagura simply smiled cheekily and went back to paying attention, getting lost in Principal Kirigiri's words.

* * *

"Finally, I'll like to say thank you to our staff - especially your homeroom teachers for the year, which all happen to be alumni from our previous years here at Hope's Peak! I do sincerely hope you give them the praise and respect they rightfully deserve and entrust them your hopes for the school year as we are entrusting you students with the hopes of a promising future in your designated areas! I'd like to request a great round of applause for our five first-year's homeroom teachers!" And with that the crowd erupted into thunderous applause as five adult figures got on stage and, in a single file, took a bow and clapped along, congratulating themselves and their colleagues.

Kagura couldn't help but hear the immense gossiping going in all around her as she heard names she could clearly recall from her extensive research work on Hope's Peak alumni and staff.

The tall brunette with green eyes was a Former Ultimate Actor, Aaron Young, also known as the first foreign student to ever set foot in the academy of hope. The muscular man in a suit and a bull mask was part of the previous year's graduating class, Great Gozu, a now former Ultimate Wrestler and known worldwide for his prowess in many wrestling championships. The man with the greasy blond hair, leather jacket and the black skinny jeans was the CEO and founder of the most successful food chain in the world, Reiji Takumishi, a former Ultimate Entrepreneur. And finally, the only female if you look past Mrs. Raibana, who Kagura already knew, was one who put women on the map in regards to sports - the Soccer Goddess, Chikako Hanayashi, Former Ultimate Goalie.

"I-I can't believe all these alumni are standing right in front of us!" Kagura swooned, leaning on Masaru as she watched the five adults. "Those are all people who graduated Hope's Peak! Can you believe it, Masaru?"

Masaru blinked away his sleepiness and responded while yawning. "Yeeeeeeeah... Pretty cool, pretty cool, I think they're all in charge of a few after school clubs... Mr. Young is the head of the Drama Club, which, apart from archery is the only one I'm considering..."

"I hadn't given extracurricular activities much thought... Sounds like a good enough time to give archery a try, don't you think?" Kagura voiced aloud, although she was asking rethorically. "Photography club is cool too... can't have my skills get rusty while I'm here!"

"Yeah, sounds cool... but you're a talented photographer. I think you'd be better off going for other stuff, like sports teams or something relating to electronics or technology... something you're not used to doing, get my drift?"

Kagura sighed and rubbed her chin. "Yeah, you're right. I can always practice photography in my spare time, or even during club meetings!" she smiled mischievously. "So many embarassing shots, I'm already picturing the looks on people's faces." she let out an evil cackle lowly, making Masaru roll his eyes and chuckle, only to be woken from his conversation by the perception of people standing up.

"Sounds like we're going back to class." Kagura heard a female voice and she cocked her head to the right to find out who it belonged to.

"Chika!" Kagura cheered as she stood up.

Masaru mimicked her as the three of them mixed into the crowd and went out to the front door along with the rest of the class. Looking around, it seemed like some people were making good use of this bit of free time to make friends and bond over some small talk, as awkward laughs and strong personalities battled it out in front of the auditorium doors. Every type of person from the muscular, arrogant-looking guy to the scrawny little shy boys, divas, nerds, rich people and jokesters was present.

"How was your dorm room? And where were you when we got to the dorm lobby? I thought we were all going to class together!"

The young sculptor pulled out some coloured malleable substance out of her apron pocket and started molding it in her hand, softening it with her body heat. "Truth be told, I completely spaced out. I was talking with my roommate and we just kinda drifted, I guess, and we went together to class! Haven't been able to check on you since, so oh well. Sorry for missing you two, though. What about Shinjiro?"

"He's still inside, I think... Haven't seen him leave. We've already met his roommate, as well as Masaru's." Kagura explained as Chika nodded, mindlessly pressing her fingers in the coloured clay on her hands. "Ryuk and Leo. You've heard their names, right?"

"Yeah! I remember them introducing themselves back in class... Leo was the one who got there late along with you, right?" the Sculptor chuckled as she recalled the near-injury experience with the knife throwing expert and her two classmates. "You two got messed up quick, work on your reflexes!"

Kagura rolled her eyes. "Right, I'll throw a knife at your arm out of nowhere and we'll see if you get out with a scrape!" she threatened jokingly as she showed Chika her sleeve, along with the tear in the lilac fabric. "So much for first day outfit, right?"

"Oh, Hochi!" Chika ignored Kagura for a second to call on a thin, pale-skinned girl with red eyes and black roots sprouting, uncovering the sky blue dye in her hair. She turned around with a smile and jogged over to the three classmates, giving Kagura ample time to judge her outfit. Mini-shorts were covering part of her thighs, as the bottom half of her legs were covered by black knee socks with neon coloured planetoids sewn into the mix and black high-tops, and a plain white t-shirt. Around her neck, she hung a necklace with a miniature version of Saturn resting on her collar. "Guys, this is my roommate!"

Quickly and energetically, she straightened her posture and saluted the two newcomers. "Hello there, guys! My name is Hokuto Nanto, also known as Hochi, for short! It's great to meet you, Chika told me all about you!" she smiled and hugged Kagura tightly, before moving on to Masaru who hesitantly returned the hug. "Ooh, you're a pretty good hugger! Good on you! How are you doing today? Excited about the new school year?"

"Hell yeah I am!" Kagura shared Hochi's cheeriness and excitement. "Chika told us you were an Ultimate Astronaut, wasn't it?"

"Indeed I am!" Hochi threw a peace sign before realizing her own mistake. "Wait! I'm not an Ultimate Astronaut!" she facepalmed and then scratched the back of her neck in embarassment before chuckling shyly. "Good job, me, forgetting your own talent! I'm an Ultimate Astronomer, so you were pretty close!"

* * *

 **HOKUTO NANTO**  
 **Ultimate Astronomer**

* * *

"Talk about high-octane" Kagura thought as she smiled sincerely at her classmate. "I can get behind this girl's enthusiasm though. She's not like tha-"

" _OH HELL YEAH_!" A screechy female voice shrieked in the distance. Looking behind her, Kagura saw a familiar face running over with a notebook and pen on her hands, glistening green eyes and a goofy smile on her face. "Y-You're Chika Sasaki, _right_!? And Masaru Arakawa!? C-Can I get your autograph!?"

"Who're you?" Chika asked bluntly, bordering on rude. "Do I know you?"

"I-I'm Haruka Sochikawa, Ultimate Fangirl and I'm your _biggest_ fan! Can I _please_ get your autographs!? Pretty please!?" she screamed with an innocence and desire in her eyes that wasn't unlike a child. "Pleeeeeeeeease, it'd be _such_ an honor!"

Chika brushed her off and signed her paper before handing it to Masaru who did the same. "There you go..." the Match Maker gave the notebook and pen back to the girl and stood with a shy blush on his face as he heard the twenty-four 'thank you's she forced upon the four of them before stopping herself, eyes wide, and rushing over to a new group of students. "Wh-What was that...?" Masaru asked.

"Ultimate Fangirl is right!" Hochi complimented the girl on her talent. "She's got lots of energy, I like that!"

"Why'd she not ask for your autograph, though, Hochi?" Chika asked, and from the looks of things, Masaru was quite curious himself. "Not that famous, are you?"

Kagura was the one to respond in place of the young Astronomer, as she had a pretty good guess of what'd happened. "She didn't ask me either. And that's because I'd met her before, while I was looking around the main building with Leo... so you probably met that walking megaphone before, right?"

"Yeah, actually! We both come from the same town, and I've seen her around campus before I got to the dorm, so she's already got my autograph." the Astronomer explained. "Being surrounded by all these 'famous' people, so to speak, must be giving her legs quite a work out, though. So good on her, huh?" she smiled. "I was on my way back to class, want to come along?"

Kagura and Chika nodded immediately but Masaru showed a bit of reluctance. "Shinjiro and Ryuk thought it'd be nice for us three to go together... can you wait, please?" he asked politely, and the three girls exchanged looks. "It's okay if you want to go, though. I'll wait for the others and we'll catch up eventually..."

"Sure you don't mind?" the Candid Photographer asked, to be sure of Masaru's honest opinion, and he responded with a smile and a nod. "Then we'll be going. See you in a bit?"

"Will do!" Masaru said his goodbyes to the other classmates and went back into the auditorium doors to look for his roommate and friend, while Kagura accompanied the other girls back to class.

* * *

 **EARLY AFTERNOON**

 **Location: Hope's Peak Academy Main Building**

The walk back to the main building was pleasant, as the slight breeze made the weather a bit more tolerable, right before being swapped by the air conditioning in the hallways between classrooms. Entering 72-1's room, Kagura took a look around only to find a lone, deathly pale boy in the back of the class, sat down at his desk, slumped forward onto his desk, with an open bottle of pills on its lid.

"H-Hey, are you okay!?" Kagura stammered as she quickly ran forward and to the back of the class, leaving Chika and Hochi behind at the door, mesmerized and slightly confused at the occurence. "Can you hear me!?" she spoke loudly and sternly to the seemingly unconscious boy, giving him a swift but soft slap on the cheek, hoping for him to wake up.

Still in a daze, a groan rang from his parted lips, and his dim brown eyes were barely open behind the mess of black hair resting on his head, spiky on some areas just to be perfectly neat in others. "H-Huh...?" he spoke with a weak tone to his voice. "Wh-What was th-that for...?"

"Don't push your voice! You look awfully sick... we need to get you help, stat!" Kagura stood back up and looked at Chika, ready to order her to get help, only to find her and the Astronomer laughing it away in the distance. "H-Hey! Guys, this isn't anything to joke about! This dude is seriously messed up, here, give me a hand!"

"O-Oh, Kagura, you've got it all wrong!" the door opened and a new voice arose.

The Candid Photographer cocked her head to look at the door and raised an eyebrow. "Masaru?"

"The little guy's right." Ryuk walked in with a laidback smile and his arms flexed so the back of his head was rested on his palms. "Go over it for her, Dallas."

"D-Dallas?" Kagura had no idea what was going on around her. A couple minutes ago - at most - she thought she was looking at a dead kid in her classroom, on her first day of class no less, and now she was feeling embarassingly stupid in front of six of her new classmates. "Can someone explain what's going on!?" she snapped, knuckles on her hips and puffed up cheeks marking her frustration.

The skinny boy stood up, revealing his choice of neon orange sweater vest, as well as pink shorts for clothing. His long limbs drooped down and were visibly covered in scars and bandages, and the dim brown of his eyes was framed by eyebags the size of which was unlike Kagura's wildest dreams. "Guess I have to do this again... Haha, this is kind of a drag. I'd rather drop dead than have to go through all that hassle again... but alas, I can't right?" he talked about his own death nonchalantly, almost as a joke, and had a nasal tone to his voice, like he had a cold.

"Jeez, who is this kid?" Kagura heard her deepest thoughts mumble, but let none of it out her lips. First impressions are important.

"I'm Dallas Park, but that's not important, huh? I'm a pretty sickly boy, because of my talent. That's why I took these pills." he said, picking up the vial on his desk.

* * *

 **DALLAS PARK**  
 **Ultimate Test Subject**

* * *

Kagura's worries were replaced by confusion and curiosity quite quickly once she realized the boy wasn't in any danger. "Your talent? What talent involves getting sick? Ultimate Crappy Immune System?"

"Could be!" he cackled and then threw a creepy, toothy grin.

Chika resumed his explanation. "He's the Ultimate Test Subject. Dallas here takes pills and syrups and all kinds of medicine before any of us, to ensure their safety, and if they're good enough to be available to the general public. He's got some wicked side effects though. Looks like today's is a normal cold."

"Yeah, pretty boring. I really enjoyed yesterday's headaches and last week's rash..." he mumbled, almost inaudibly, but Kagura was able to hear it quite well. With a sympathetic smile, the Candid Photographer looked all around and was met by the smiles of her new classmates, as well as her childhood friend Masaru, and then threw a sheepish laugh and shook her head.

 _"Oh where did I get myself into?"_


	4. Chapter 3: Setting the Stage for Hope

**CHAPTER 3: Setting the Stage for Hope**

* * *

 **EARLY AFTERNOON**

 **Location: Hope's Peak Academy Entrance Hall**

"Do my eyes deceive me or is Kagura Kiyomaru actually on time for class, this time around?" Mrs. Raibana mocked Kagura's previous tardiness as she walked inside with the rest of the class in tow, one female noticeably missing.

"Sounds like the mute chick isn't coming now..." Shinjiro commented. "Gonna throw a knife her way too, teach?" he poked his tounge out with his arms crossed on his chest. "I'd pay to see that!"

Mrs. Raibana sat at the front desk and gestured everyone else to sit in their respective seats in order to continue class presentations. "I'll have you know my circus days are behind me, so I won't accept do any more shows for quite a while - I'm on indefinite hiatus. If you'd like to pay me everytime I get a knife stuck to the wall, though, I am afraid you'll be dirt poor by the end of the week!" she said jokingly, eyeing Leo, who wasn't paying too much attention, and then turning to Kagura. "Where were we?"

"Introductions!" Chika reminded from her seat. "You were handing out handbooks... you don't remember? Happened like forty minutes ago, maybe fifty. Can't be that hard to remember, right?" she went on a bit of a complaining tangent before quieting down.

"Yes, indeed... Masaru, Kikenna, Harumi, Tomomi, Shinjiro, Leo, Ryuk, Chika and Kagura have all introduced themselves already... correct? Next up would be... Yura Murao." she jolted in her seat as a flash of realization struck her. "Oh, Yura will be unable to attend to the rest of our little meetup, for family reasons. I take you all will make her a part of the class nonetheless, right?" she threw everyone a threateningly nice smile, almost like she was ready to pin one more hat onto the wall, making Shinji's wallet grow ever sadder. "After Yura would be... Shiro Murakami?"

"That'd be me!" a nasally voice responded and a short-ish boy took the front of the classroom.

Kagura appreciated the silent pause he threw into his presentation to have a look at the boy's overall appearance and getup. He wore the official - although not obligatory - school uniform, contrasting the rest of the class that chose their own unique styles for the first day outfit. On top of the uniform shirt, he wore a hoodie from which protruded two wired headphones he had around his ears. He also chose to swap out the brown loafers from some red sneakers, making his outfit a bit on the messy side - fashion-wise. His hair was a spiky, light brown even cut with a cowlick and a fringe, and a few bags under his big brown eyes.

"I-I'm sorry my voice is so nasal today... I've got a cold... My name is Shiro Murakami, and I'm this year's Ultimate Editor! Very nice to, um, meet you and stuff."

* * *

 **SHIRO MURAKAMI**  
 **Ultimate Editor**

* * *

The former Circus Performer kept on handing out the handbooks to other people in class, all of which Kagura recognized, until an unfamiliar name caught her attention.

By the time she was freed from the thoughtless daze, a girl that sat behind her limped over to the front of the class, with a messy blond bedhead drooping down as she dragged her feet to her destination. Her head was hanging from her neck, and the curtain of hair around it made it hard to see her face. Suddenly, the girl - fully dressed in the school uniform, although a bit more messy and sloppily variant of it - cocked her head up and her eyes shot open, only to hang drowsily between open and closed once again, revealing dark blue irises.

"Oh... hi... I'm new... I..." she yawned, reminding Kagura of Harumi - the Ultimate Slacker she'd met before the principal's speech. "I'm Shizuka... Masuda..." her name were the last words she could mutter before her eyes closed back down and she walked over, not unlike a zombie, to Kikenna's seat and, kneeling down, laid her head over it. "Night..."

"What the bloody hells is her deal?" the Survivor asked aloud, replied to by the overall confusion of the other classmates. "Can I kick her outta my desk, teach? Kinda buggin' me."

Mrs. Raibana sighed and left her seat to go pick her up. As she stood on two feet, the girl limped over back to her seat and sat down, with a ladylike posture which was quite weird coming from a sleeping girl. "She's sleepwalking... right?" Masaru asked Shinjiro beside him.

"Right on, my bro." the DJ responded. "Sure seems like it to me, anyways."

"You are, in fact, correct. I do have problems with sleepwalking, which is surprisingly what led me here to meet you." Judging by sheer coherence and vocabulary, Kagura would be weirded out by it not being Arturo speaking, but sure enough, the voice was nothing like his. "I, Shizuka Masuda, have been brought to Hope's Peak Academy by my talent of being semi-conscious during my sleep. A bit of an unusual talent, to be sure, but I do hope it doesn't inconvenience you too bad. I hope we ca all coexist peacefully over the course of the school year."

* * *

 **SHIZUKA MASUDA**  
 **Ultimate Sleepwalker**

* * *

Ryuk tapped on the desk with an eyebrow raised. "She talks in her sleep?"

"I do." Shizuka answered calmly. "In fact, I can do anything you do while you are awake, except I am not. As a matter of fact, actually, I can't do much of anything without sleeping - my awake self is what you first witnessed, a lazy and eternally tired girl." she laughed, and seeing a clearly sleeping girl laugh was something Kagura wasn't expecting on seeing, even knowing first hand that there were some pretty funky folks around.

"Now that Shizuka has introduced herself... next up is... Sasaki?"

Chika immediately perked up on her seat, but stopped herself. "Sasaki... that'd be me. I've already gone up there, though, ma'am."

"I believe Mrs. Raibana refers to me." the final student spoke up and made himself visible by standing up and walking away to the front of the class.

Coincidentally, he was also wearing the school uniform, minus the signature tie that had been replaced by a black one with a musical note motif. The boy himself was rather large, not in a muscular kind of way, but in a sheer body mass way. His face boasted green eyes, as well as a distinctively foreign appeal to it that Kagura found interesting. From his scalp, a poofy tuft of brown hair covered the top of his head.

"My name is Isamu Sasaki, pleased to meet you." He spoke calmly, and his voice was soothing to listen to. "I am a brass player - the Ultimate Brass Player - although I'd rather be called Ultimate Hornist. I just think it rolls off the tongue a whole lot better so, if you don't mind, that's my (unofficial) talent." he airquoted the word 'unofficial' and finished his small introduction with a smile.

* * *

 **ISAMU SASAKI**  
 **Ultimate Hornist**

* * *

"With that, I do believe we've finished up presentations for today!" Mrs. Raibana chirped, tossing the name list back onto the drawer along with an empty cardboard box where she'd stored the Electro-IDs she had given the students. "We've got a few more minutes of class before I'm allowed to let you go and explore campus so... socialize for a little bit while I sort out some stuff, okay?"

The homeroom teacher's attention immediately went to the desk in front of her before any of us could muster a reply, but a collective group of shrugs were followed by chairs and desks being dragged across the class, as people were curious to see their new classmates. Masaru and Shinji were talking to the Editor that had just introduced himself, and so Kagura met them.

"Ultimate Editor, huh?" Shinjiro asked. "What do you edit really? Photos? Music? We can have some sick collabs if you edit music!"

The Editor laughed and shook his head. "Unfortunately I work with videos more than anything... TV series, movies, anime, music videos... stuff like that. I do know how to work my way around audio editing and photos as well, if you ever need my help!" he smiled shyly and shook Shinjiro's hand.

"It's a deal!" The DJ cheered excitedly. "Hey, Kagura, you heard!? Me and Shiro here are gonna collab sometime!"

"Yeah, yeah, I was right here!" Kagura replied. "'Sup, Shiro, I'm Kagura. Nice to meet you."

"Candid Photographer, right?" he asked as he shook Kagura's hand firmly, but not as firmly as he'd done with Shinjiro before her. "What does candid photography mean, anyway? You take pictures of people secretly, right?"

Kagura tilted her head both ways, syncing it with her hand and had a pensive pout on her face. "Not quite. I take pictures of people while they're not posing! It doesn't matter if the person knows they're being photographer or not, as long as they're not posing. Taking pictures of people walking is candid photography, get it?"

"Ahhh, I see! If people didn't know they were being photographed, that'd be pretty creepy too... and that'd make you an Ultimate Paparazzi or something, huh?" Shiro tried to break the ice with his small talk before being interrupted by a certain Sculptor.

"What are the odds of having two people named Sasaki in the same class?" Chika sighed. "I mean, you all have unique names and talents and such... and I have that stupid Hornist buzzing around me, stealing _my_ name!? The nerve of some people, I swe-"

"Woah, woah, woah, back off Chika." Shinjiro interrupted. "Aren't you cousins or something?"

Chika took out a mass of moldable play-doh out of her apron and brought her arm back, threatening to throw the red substance bull's eye into the DJ's face. "Don't even get me started! I'm nothing like that name-stealer!" she puffed her cheeks and stomped her right foot on the ground in annoyance. "Why are you all _soooo_ much more special than me!?" she complained, although Kagura noticed a bit of sarcasm in her annoyance.

"We're all just as special as you, Chika, c'mon." Masaru tried to comfort the fakely hurt Sculptor. "No need to feel bad!" he approached her slowly and hugged her, startling Chika into a funny face Kagura can only wish she captured on film before hugging the Match Maker back.

"I was kidding, y'know, Masaru?"

"O-Oh!" the red-haired boy blushed and let go of Chika quickly, returning to Shinjiro's side. "Sorry about that... thought you needed a hug..." he chuckled in embarassment, and the young DJ got his arm wrapped around Masaru's neck once again, making the smaller boy flinch once, and once again when they were interrupted by the loud - and extremely obnoxious - noise of the school bell sounding right on their ears.

"See you tomorrow, everyone!" Mrs. Raibana shouted over the incessant ringing. "Have a good afternoon, you're all dismissed!"

* * *

 **AFTERNOON**

 **Location: Hope's Brew**

Kagura and Masaru went over to the school café to throw the young girl's coffee addiction a little bone - although a brown, bitter and liquid bone. "So what do we do now?" the Candid Photographer asked. "It's still too early to go back to the dorms... and we've already been thorugh the entire campus once over."

"I registered everyone from our class on Hope's Peek... we can message someone and meet up or something. Oh, oh, we can check out the clubs or the sports teams, too!" Masaru started, leaving Kagura a bit on the confused side regarding his first statement. "What? Did I say something wrong?"

"Where did you register everyone? Hope's Peak? Aren't already in here, though?"

"No, no, I said Hope's _Peek_! P-E-E-K. It's the academy's very own social media platform, for students only. You don't know about it?" the Match Maker was taken aback by Kagura's lack of knowledge on the virtual aid provided by the academy head. "It's pretty recent... If I recall correctly, a third-year student made it a part of his practical exam last year. He made the entire platform in forty-five minutes!"

Kagura was reminded of an Ultimate Programmer doing something of the sort while she browsed the internet archives of Hope's Peak alumni. "I think I remember something like that... still, I can't believe I didn't know about it!" she sighed in defeat and brought the hot coffee cup up to her lips, exhaling a puff of steam as she swallowed the first drops. "I'm a disgrace to the Hope's Peak Academy fanbase, Masaru, I might as well drop out now!"

"Woah, woah, woah, dramatic..." Masaru joked, giving the coffee drinker a pat on the shoulder.

"You're one to talk, drama junkie." Kagura teased her friend for his acting tendencies, as she slipped her new handbook out of her jacket's breast pocket and turning it on, only to be welcomed by a flurry of notifications. "HOLY CRAP, WHAT IS THIS!?" she complained at the slow down the handbook suffered from the amount of new information popping up in quick succession.

"Friend invitations?" Masaru guessed, receiving only a nod as a reply. "Probably from our classmates... maybe some other people, too. I've added that Ultimate Fangirl that spoke to us on our way out of the auditorium today, and sent that boy who was behind us an invite too!"

"Why the hell does Mrs. Raibana want to add me as a friend... to throw me knife stickers on the chat?" Kagura thought aloud, throwing in a laugh at her own joke. "Let's see, then... accept, accept, accept..." she chanted as the clicked the green option below each of her classmates names, as well, as the Fangirl's - although it took a bit more thinking before she finally gave in to her own kindness and patience. "There we go, all done."

"Want to text anyone in particular?" the Match Maker asked, ignorant to the fact that she was not listening. "Maybe ask for someone in the class group chat?"

"We've got one of _those_ already?" Kagura sighed, remembering her middle school's class attempt at a group chat, which was flooded before every test by the lazy bums in her class asking for last-minute study tips or the entirety of the class's notes, and every other day with social media promo... she shuddered at the thought and opened the chat window, ignoring the texts before her.

Masaru opened the chat as well as asked Kagura before typing. "What should we do this afternoon then? Go over to the clubs?" the Candid Photographer simply nodded.

* * *

 _ **CHAT: 72-1 Class  
Online: Masaru | Arturo | Hokuto | Harumi | Kagura | Isamu**_

 **Masaru:** Is anyone around the café area?

 **Masaru:** Kagura and I are going to check out a few afterschool clubs.

 **Arturo:** Which ones?

 **Harumi:** nah, stil need 2 sleep

 _Harumi Ueda is now offline._

 **Kagura:** I want to go to the drama, gaming and archery clubs

 **Masaru:** I'm going to the drama club with her, and then photography and cooking.

 **Hokuto:** Which clubs are there?

 **Arturo:** Hochi, there is a list in the main page.

 **Hokuto:** Oh, ok! I'll go check it out!

 **Arturo:** I will go and see the Drama Club with you.

 **Isamu:** I'll go to the archery club

 **Masaru:** Arturo, meet us at the café, we'll walk there together

 **Kagura:** Okay, Isamu!

 **Arturo:** Will do, see you there.

 _Shinjiro Minoto is now online._

 **Shinjiro:** my phone wont stop vibrating guys whats up xD

 **Masaru:** Shinjiro!

 **Masaru:** Want to come over to any clubs with us?

 **Shinjiro:** sure bro where u going

 **Masaru:** Drama, photography and cooking

 **Kagura:** Drama, gaming and archery

 **Shinjiro:** yeah sure

 **Shinjiro:** ill go check out the cooking one

 **Shinjiro:** mixing ingredients and mixing songs can't be too different right xD

 **Masaru:** Hahaha, sure, thanks! I'll text you later when I'm heading there?

 **Shinjiro:** k then

 **Hokuto:** GUYS WHY IS THERE NO ASTRONOMY CLUB?

 **Hokuto:** I'M GONNA MAKE AN ASTRONOMY CLUB!

 _Hokuto Nanto is now offline._

 **Shinjiro:** that was something xD haha

 **Shinjiro:** im gonna get ready for the cooking and stuff, see u

 _Shinjiro Minoto is now offline._

 **Masaru:** See you!

* * *

"Hello there." It wasn't long after Masaru typed that message that the familiar voice of the class's Linguist made itself clear in the café's beige walls, right after the soft tingle of the bell above the entrance door. "Ahh, the smell of freshly brewed coffee. Although I'm not the biggest fan of its taste, I do believe its aroma is one of the most exquisite, don't you agree?"

"Hell yeah I do!" Kagura cheered, standing up with her cup in hand as she started walking towards Arturo, Masaru quickly following suit. "You got here quickly, Arturo, were you hanging around here?"

Arturo nodded slightly before replying. "Yes, indeed I was." he said, stopping himself to open the door, letting Kagura and Masaru pass in front of him, both of which with thankful smiles. "I happened to be walking around campus with Tomomi and Leo, just enjoying a friendly chat before your invitation arrived through the class's group conversation. Speaking of which, Tomomi showed some interest in accompanying you to the gaming club, if you'd be so inclined as to want her company."

"Sure thing! The more the merrier, that's what I always say! I bet the tech geeks over there are gonna flip with Teshima, too!" Kagura voiced her thoughts gleefully, with an honest smile on her face. "I'll text her when we get out of the Drama club, though."

"Speaking of which..." Masaru chimes in. "Where's the drama practice anyway? The auditorium?"

"Yep" Kagura confirms Masaru's guess. "That's why we're heading there, dummy." she teases her friend once again, right as the auditorium's shadow started consuming the three students' bodies.

* * *

 **AFTERNOON**

 **Location: Hope's Peak Academy Auditorium**

"How the fuck am I supposed to work in _these_ conditions, you filthy pig!? I'm insulted! Take this!" an unfamiliar female voice shouted as Kagura entered the wide, cold auditorium, at the right moment for her to witness a tall woman with a jet-black mop of curls reaching her breasts slap a limp - almost dead-looking - body, right in the face. The slap quickly became a fighting scene, as around six or seven other people just watched in awe, not doing anything.

Kagura immediately sprung into action, as the lady on stage was straddling the struggling man, hands pressed strongly against his neck, and a faint choking noise reached her ears. She leapt onto the wooden stage and grabbed the woman, who surprisingly enough, let go of the body in the ground easily and without any fight back. "Hey, hey, knock it off, dude, what's your deal!?" she kept pulling her and quickly threw her into the ground, being met by something she was _not_ expecting. Behind the curly black hair Kagura now noticed was a wig, stood a tall man with light brown hair peeking behind the wig and green/hazel eyes, his tan skin melding the shades of brown together perfectly. "Wh-Why are y-you a man...?"

The Candid Photographer looked to her left, off the stage and into the audience, where the unfamiliar faces boasted either a mocking, shocked or embarassed expression - the latter being prominent in Masaru's face. "Excuse me, miss!?" the female voice complained, throwing Kagura off and onto the body aggressively. Upon further inspection, Kagura examined the grounded body that the man was choking earlier to find it being a mere puppet - a fake. "How dare you interrupt my discussion!? That man has ripped me of every right I've ever had! This is slavery!"

"Woah, woah, woah, what's going on!?" Kagura shouted back, confused as she stood up to get her bearing straight once again. "Bitch, are you delusional!?"

"What did you just call me, slut!? Do you wanna fight!? You just came onto my boss's office and attacked me!" the male approached Kagura with lightning speed and drove her down into the ground, pinning her down by placing her black stiletto on the Candid Photographer's stomach. "Don't get in my way, you hear!?" And then a bell rang. Loudly.

Kagura covered her ears and squirmed away from the woman who she was convinced had gone completely bonkers, as she noticed, again, no resistance at all. "What the hell are you doing, dude!? Or... girl!?" she managed to say in between huffs, as the girlman simply took his wig off, revealing a light brown mess with an ahoge pointing up and to the right. "W-Wait a minute... Mr... you're..."

"This, everyone, is how you improv." the man threw an award-winning smile towards the audience, making Masaru shuffle uncomfortably. "Aaron Young, head of the Drama Club and Former Ultimate Actor. Is everything alright with you? You seem quite distraught."

* * *

 **AARON YOUNG**  
 **Former Ultimate Actor**

* * *

"I-I-I'm s-s-s-so s-sorry, s-s-sir!"

"Don't stutter, miss, it's unbecoming of an actress. Which I believe is your reason for coming?" the Actor responded with serenity. "Welcome to the Drama Club, Miss...?"

"K-Kagura K-K-Kiyomaru!" the young girl presents herself, absolutely terrified of what'd just happened. "Did I... Did I just interrupt your play...?"

Mr. Young nodded and walked Kagura off the stage alongside him. "I was showing these young men and woman, the dialogue everyone has to play in order to enter the Drama Club. You have given me the chance to teach them a good lesson in improvising, however! As always, the universe has steered us in the right direction, yes?" the man laughed, and gestured Kagura to have a seat, which she reluctantly did, next to Masaru and Arturo. "As I said previously, this dialogue will be presented by two of you at a time, and those who I deem worthy of entering the club, will do just that. The only things I need you to bring to the table are your availability, professionalism and versatility. We'll iron out the rest during the year, understand?"

"Yes, Mr. Young!" the front row responded, Kagura remaining quiet.

"Very well. You're all dismissed, except those who have questions, and those who've arrived late." he said, throwing a side-look towards the three 72-1 students. "You can find the scripts for this monologue in Hope's Peek, if you browse hard enough." the entire front row, except for one male.

In the dim lighting of the audience portion of the auditorium, it was hard for Kagura to make out his light brown eyes or bright red hair with burnt black tips, dark tan skin covered with bandages much like Ryuk - although this boy had more of a nutty feel. He bore a black dress shirt with a dirty dark grey tie, underneath brown overalls. His red hair was pinned down by charred goggles, matching his gloves and small satchel. "Mr. Young, are we allowed to change the way the story flows?"

"You can make minor changes to movements or dialogue, but the story as a whole must remain the same."

"And do we have to play a woman?"

"Yes, I'm afraid this dialogue is between a woman and a man. Be sure to partner up with a girl if you want to play the man, Akira." the older man ruffled the younger boy's hair with a playful rub and smiled. "And please, no big explosions this time."

The boy - Akira, if Kagura heard correctly - cackled lowly and shook his head. "I'll try to keep those to a mininum, hehe... but there'll be a few, or my name isn't Akira Batora!" he then started into sort of a maniac laughter, not unlike cartoonish witches and left the auditorium in a rush, hugging his satchel tightly.

* * *

 **AKIRA BATORA**  
 **Ultimate Demolition Expert**

* * *

"Oh, what have I wrought upon this poor auditorium..." Mr. Young sighed and shook his head. "Very well... you three just arrived, correct? Let me tell you, as an actor, you must never be late to a rehearsal or a play. You'll be dumped from the cast in a matter of seconds. So I'm hoping this will be the first and last time I see any of you arriving late to the Drama Club, understood?" his voice grew more and more stern as he spoke, giving the three newbies a sense of fear and pressure, but they eventually nodded in agreement. "Great! I'll be looking forward to seeing you work. I'm going to have another scheduled showing for the second years later on, would you like to stay and wait?"

"Yes, please, sir, if it's not too much of a hassle!" Masaru swooned over what Kagura didn't remember to be one of his idols. "It'd be an honor to witness your work once again!"

The former Actor chuckled and got on stage once again, walking away towards the backstage rooms before peeking his head out and reminding the Candid Photographer. "When I come back, please make sure to stay seated." he winked at the young girl, making her blush in embarassment.

"Wow... talk about unexpected..." Kagura muttered to a dreamy Masaru and a quiet Arturo, trying his best to maintain his composure and not laugh at what had just happened. "I thought Mr. Young would be such a diva, and get super pissed at me when I did that, but he's so nice! This just goes to show how wonderful of an alumni this academy is capable of making!"

"Didja say something, Kagura?" Masaru mumbled had his chin on the palm of his hand, and a dumb smile on his face as he watched the curtain intently.

"Is something wrong with that drape, Masaru? You've been staring at it for quite a while but I'm unable to discern any irregularities that could have such an effect..." Arturo asked in his abnormally wellpaced speech.

The Match Maker's face quickly turned red and he shook it off, trying to go back to his normal coloring. "I-It's nothing, really. I'm just a big fan of Mr. Young, so having them around is really nice." he replied, a bit flustered.

"Oh, is something the matter, Masaru? You seem to be a bit embarassed to admit that."

"I-It's not like that. It's just kinda... well, normally actors like Mr. Young only have fangirls so it's kind of awkward to be a fan _boy_ , get me? People assume stuff..." he trailed off and started muttering to himself. Suddenly, an interruption erupted from backstage. "M-Mr. Young!"

"Do any of you want to check out the backstage area of the auditorium? All school plays are acted out here in this stage, so we've got a few utilities in the back that you'll have to be familiar with later on. Should I let you join our club, that is. Either way, it'll be good for you, are any of you interested?"

Masaru was the first to bolt his butt off the seat and excitedly scream out. "Y-Yes, sir! I'd really like to see!" he turned around with a little child's sparkle in his eyes. "Kagura, Arturo, do you wanna come!?" The Linguist was quick to stand up next to Masaru, who awaited his friend's response, but the young Candid Photographer didn't bother to look at her friend, as she was searching for the schedule for the next club presentations. "Kaguraaa? You coming?" he called.

"Yeah, yeah, coming" Kagura said a bit dazed and absent, confusing the Linguist beside her but leaving Masaru fully unfazed, as he had already switched his attention to focus on the former Actor instead. The Candid Photographer stood up and got up the wooden stairs and onto the stage she'd just leapt onto a few minutes ago, and sighed. "God I'm dumb" she thought, mocking herself jokingly and subsequently shrugged. "Oh well!"

Behind the black curtain that covered what part of the stage shouldn't be seen was a dark hallway leading to a lit room in the back. The three students followed the teacher as he led the way silently and Kagura observed her surroundings as they walked. The walls of the hallway were covered by a black drape and there were tables in front of them full of props, as well as buttons and levers on the walls. At the end of the hall, Kagura got to the lit room and looked around to check out its structure. It was a linear room with two wooden doors on the left and an elevator to the right, standing between two racks with various hangers, from which dangled all kinds of costumes.

"These are the changing rooms!" Mr. Young explained, breaking the silence. "Along the walls, as you could see were various objects we use during plays, a.k.a. props, and these are all the costumes you guys might be wearing soon." he added, Masaru flailing around the place in his kidlike enthusiasm for theatre. "What is the young boy's name?"

"M-Me?" Masaru heard Mr. Young speak attentively, although he sure didn't seem to be paying mind to it. "Masaru Arakawa, Ultimate Match Maker... I thought I'd introduced myself already, sorry!"

The former Actor shook his head and politely refused his apology. "No need, young man. You're into acting, right? You sure seem like you are."

"Y-Yes! I've liked acting and entertaining people ever since I was a kid... I really want to make it far in the acting business and such... if match making doesn't cut it for me." he explained a dream that Kagura had heard multiple times, but Arturo and Mr. Young hadn't.

The older brunette had a soft smile in his face and a bit of a spark in his eye. "You remind me of myself as a kid." he chuckled. "When I was a bit younger than you, I really wanted to be an entertainer... and that's why I busted my ass off trying to go to every casting and participating in everything I could. A few strings and a bit of luck later, and I was a child star and asked to enroll in Hope's Peak." he boasted, with calmness and serenity in his voice. "Not to brag, of course! I just want to tell you... dreams do come true, if you work for them. So go for them with everything you've got!" he cheered Masaru, putting a stern hand on his shoulder and looking at the younger boy's grin. Then, he turned to Kagura and Arturo, who just witnessed his little inspirational speech. "And this goes for you two as well, you hear? If you need anything, I'm sure your homeroom teacher can help. You first years have got a great batch of nutjobs to take care of yo-"

"Heeeeeey! Mr. Aaron Young!?" a shout came from the front of the stage, the main auditorium.

"Ah, sounds like people are already arriving! Please go back and have a seat. I'll be right there!" and with that, he dismissed the young talents away.

* * *

 **A/N: With that I've finished off introducing the main class, and I've even thrown in a couple other 72-2 students and two teachers in the mix! I'm super sorry these first chapters have been so introduction-heavy but I've got to get the characters some screentime before everything starts happening! With that, I'll be sure to make the next chapters much more interesting (although next chapter has a few more introductions), marking the beggining of the first Arc - which you'll see soon enough.**

 **In case you haven't noticed, I'm trying my best to get these out a bit faster now that I have the time, so enjoy it while it lasts. Don't forget to leave a review telling me what you thought of everyone (in the main class and otherwise) and the overall chapter!**

 **I'll see you next time, but until then... Yamazaki out!**


End file.
